EP2195508B1 - Extern aktiviertes dichtungssystem für einen bohrlochkopf - Google Patents

Extern aktiviertes dichtungssystem für einen bohrlochkopf Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2195508B1
EP2195508B1 EP08834237.3A EP08834237A EP2195508B1 EP 2195508 B1 EP2195508 B1 EP 2195508B1 EP 08834237 A EP08834237 A EP 08834237A EP 2195508 B1 EP2195508 B1 EP 2195508B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
wellhead
wearbushing
tubing hanger
hanger
seal
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EP08834237.3A
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP2195508A4 (de
EP2195508A2 (de
Inventor
Bernard Herman Vanbilderbeek
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Plexus Holdings PLC
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Plexus Holdings PLC
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Publication of EP2195508A4 publication Critical patent/EP2195508A4/de
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    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B33/00—Sealing or packing boreholes or wells
    • E21B33/02—Surface sealing or packing
    • E21B33/03—Well heads; Setting-up thereof

Definitions

  • the invention is related to concentric casings and strings in wellheads wherein it is necessary to effect a seal between concentric members of the wellhead and is specifically directed to a seal system wherein the sealing members are activated via an external, non-invasive seal energizing system.
  • casing hangers are fixed in position on each casing.
  • casing hanger is unsatisfactory, because the hang-off point of one casing on another may require to be adjusted.
  • Such drilling wellheads have to accommodate a casing with an undetermined hang-off point, it has been known to use casing slip-type support mechanisms.
  • Wellheads are used in oil and gas drilling to suspend casing, seal the annulus between casing strings, and provide an interface with the BOP.
  • the design of a wellhead is generally dependant upon the location of the wellhead and the characteristics of the well being drilled or produced.
  • One specific type of wellhead is a unitized wellhead for platform or land applications.
  • Unitized wellheads are composed of several individual components, including a wellhead housing that is used to support a number of casing hangers and tubing hangers.
  • the hangers support the weight of the casing and tubing, and pass loads back to the wellhead housing.
  • Annulus seals seal the annular spaces between casing and tubing strings.
  • Conventional land or platform wellheads are either slip-type conventional wellheads or through-the-BOP multi-bowl wellheads.
  • Slip-type wellheads use casing slips to support casing strings. These slips are friction wedges that "grip" the top of a casing string and use slip teeth to bite into the casing. Wellheads of this type require higher-risk operations, as they require lifting the BOP to install casing slips and annulus seals. The seals that are used with slip-type casing hangers must be actively maintained throughout the field life of the well.
  • Multi-bowl type wellheads feature reduced-risk operations, as the BOP does not need to be lifted to set casing slips. Instead of using slips, a multi-bowl wellhead uses a fixed landing shoulder in the wellhead housing to support the first casing hanger. All other casing hangers are stacked on top of this initial casing hanger.
  • the seals installed on multi-bowl wellheads can be more dependable than those installed in slip-type wellheads, but are still often unreliable, due to eccentricities in the casing hanger / wellhead alignment and unreliability in the seal setting mechanisms. As the initial load shoulder must support the weight of all casing strings and any loads due to test pressures, this load shoulder must intrude into the bore of the wellhead quite a bit. This can create an operational restriction that limits operations through this well.
  • a wellhead slip and seal assembly includes a slip assembly with slips supported within a slip bowl and a seal assembly positioned above the slip assembly and interconnected thereto for supporting the slip assembly, the seal assembly includes two segments connected to form the seal ring and each of the segments includes arcuate elements embedded in a resilient material which forms an inner seal in an inner groove.
  • the segments of the slip bowl include segments interconnected by toe nails and the seal ring includes pin and recess connection for connecting the two segments together.
  • an external clamp for clamping two concentric tubes typically two concentric tubes in an oil or gas well, has two axially movable tapered components which can be pulled over one another in an axial direction to provide a contraction of internal diameter which grips the smaller diameter tube.
  • United States Patent No. 6,488,084 shows and describes a casing hanger adapted for landing on a load shoulder in a wellhead to seal and support a string of casing.
  • the casing hanger has a lower ring for landing on the load shoulder, the lower ring having an upward facing surface.
  • a plurality of circumferentially spaced recesses are in the upward facing surface of the lower ring, each of the recesses having a base.
  • a seal is located on the lower ring and has a plurality of holes that register with the recesses iri the upward facing surface of the lower ring.
  • a slip assembly bowl has a wedging surface that carries a plurality of slip members.
  • the slip members grip the casing and cause the bowl to transmit downward forces from the casing to the seal to axially compress and energize the seal.
  • Fasteners extend from the lower ring through apertures provided in the seal into threaded apertures provided in a downward facing surface of the bowl to secure the lower ring to the slip assembly but allow relative axial movement between the bowl and the lower ring.
  • a plurality of substantially cylindrical stop members are located in the holes in the seal and in the recesses of the lower ring. The stop members are secured into threaded holes formed in the shoulder ring and contact the bases of the recesses to limit the compression of the seal.
  • the subject invention is directed to a method and apparatus for a seal assembly for a unitized wellhead system for land or platform applications utilizing a friction grip technology to create maintainable metal-to-metal seals with finely-controlled contact stresses, lock-down casing and tubing hangers, support test loads to minimize the size of landing shoulders required, and to rotationally lock casing hangers to provide simplified running procedures.
  • the subject invention that combines the benefits of a slip-type wellhead and a multi-bowl type wellhead and is able to provide numerous advantages by using radial compression of the wellhead to create seals and support load.
  • the invention provides the apparatus and method for accomplishing a circumferential seal between two substantially concentric members by externally activating the seal once the two members are in position.
  • a wellhead housing accommodates and supports a concentric tubing hanger.
  • the tubing hanger may be supported within the wellhead in any of the conventional ways.
  • One suitable method for supporting the tubing hanger in the well is the clamping mechanism shown and described in my previously mentioned U.S. Patents No. 6,092,596 and 6,662,868 , incorporated herein by reference.
  • a friction fit is provided between the inner diameter of the wellhead housing and the outer diameter of the tubing hanger.
  • a compressor system mounted on the exterior of the wellhead housing is activated, whereby the a cam or ramp surface on the compressor system is moved axially relative to a mated cam surface on outer circumference of the wellhead housing to compress the wellhead housing radially inward for engaging and clamping the tubing hanger along coextensive surfaces.
  • U.S. Patent No. 7,128,143 discloses a wellhead apparatus according to the preamble of claim 1.
  • the present invention is directed to a wellhead apparatus according to claim 1, and to a method for installing tubing hangers according to claim 10.
  • the push-through wearbushing does not need to be retrieved, saving an operation.
  • FIG. 1 A simplified, diagrammatic view of the seal system is shown in Fig. 1 .
  • the apparatus and method are provided for accomplishing a circumferential seal between two substantially concentric members by externally activating the seal once the two members are in position.
  • a wellhead 1 includes having an external sealing apparatus 10 for clamping a tubular casing 4 of a first diameter within a tubular casing (here the wellhead 1) of larger internal diameter.
  • the outer tubular member has an inner circumferential wall with a sealing zone 83.
  • the inner tubular member is adapted to be positioned substantially concentrically within the outer tubular member having an outer circumferential wall with a sealing zone 28.
  • the circumferential compression system 10 is mounted outwardly of the outer tubing member and operable to be activated for compressing the outer tubular member into contact with the inner tubular member for engaging the sealing zones therein and activating a seal between the outer tubular member and the inner tubular member.
  • the sealing zone on each tubular member may be a metal sealing surface on each of said tubular members for defining a metal-to-metal seal when the compressions system is activated.
  • the wellhead sealing system may include one or more resilient seal members 84, 85 in the sealing zone of one of the tubular members and extending outwardly therefrom toward the other tubular member, wherein the resilient seal member is adapted to be compressed between the two tubular members when the compression system is activated.
  • a gap 91 is created between the resilient seal members when the compression system is activated.
  • a test port 114 may be provided for communicating the gap with the exterior of the assembly for testing the integrity of the seal when activated.
  • the compression system comprises a wedge surface 15 and a flange 14 adapted for engaging the wedge, one of said wedge and flange being each located on one of the outer tubular member and the compression system, whereby the tubular member is compressed radially inwardly upon relative axial movement between the wedge and the flange.
  • the preferred method for activating the compression system is a hydraulic ram adapted for causing axial movement between the wedge and the flange.
  • the system includes a positive lock 21 for locking the wedge and flange in position once the seal has been engaged.
  • a method provides an external sealing device for concentric tubular members in a wellhead.
  • the method comprises placing sealing zones on the mated surfaces of a plurality of concentric tubular members in radial alignment with one another and compressing the outermost tubular member toward the central axis of the concentric tubular members for engaging the sealing zones with one another.
  • the method includes the step of locking the compressed assembly in sealing position.
  • a redundant resilient seal is positioned in the sealing zone. When a plurality of axially spaced resilient seals are located in the sealing zone, the gap between the resilient seals may be ported to the exterior of the system.
  • a wellhead housing 1 accommodates and supports a concentric tubing hanger 4.
  • additional concentric tubular members may also be sealed using the system.
  • the tubing hanger may be supported within the wellhead in any of the conventional ways.
  • One suitable method for supporting the tubing hanger in the well is the clamping mechanism shown and described in my earlier U.S. Patent No. 6,092,596 , incorporated herein by reference. Using the system therein described, a friction fit is provided between the inner circumferential wall 83 of the wellhead housing and the outer circumferential wall 28 of the tubing hanger 4.
  • the compressor system 10 mounted on the exterior of the wellhead housing 1 is activated by the threaded driver 20, 21, whereby the compression flange 14 on the compressor system is moved axially relative to the compression wedge 15 on outer circumference of the wellhead housing to compress the wellhead housing radially inward for engaging and clamping the tubing hanger along the coextensive surfaces 28 and 83.
  • the compression system may comprise an annular, axially tapering surface, an axially movable sleeve surrounding the outer wall of the wellhead and has a corresponding tapering surface facing the outer wall, and a driver for producing relative axial movement between the tapering surfaces to exert a radial compressive force to the outer wall of the wellhead.
  • the means for producing relative axial movement comprises a pressure chamber between the sleeve and the wellhead, and means for pressurising the chamber with hydraulic pressure.
  • the means for producing relative axial movement may comprise a flange on the sleeve, a flange on the wellhead, and means for applying a mechanical force between the flanges to move the sleeve axially along the wellhead.
  • the present disclosure is directed to the sealing mechanism comprising the compression system 10, the metal-to-metal sealing member 29, and where desired, redundant resilient seals 84 and 85.
  • the sealing member 29 is an integral, machined surface on the outer wall 28 of the tubing hanger.
  • the sealing surface extends circumferentially about the outer wall of the tubing hanger.
  • the sealing surface is best designed to clear the inner wall of 83 of the wellhead housing, i.e., there is not any radial interference between the sealing surface of the tubing hanger and the interior wall of the wellhead housing. This preserves the integrity of the seal during assembly.
  • the seal is activated by driving the compression flange 14 of the compressor system 10 relative to the compression wedge 15 mounted on the wellhead housing 1, forcing the wellhead housing to compress radially inward about the entire circumference and engage the seal.
  • the metal-to-metal seal includes mated and complementary sealing surfaces 29 and 90 on both the exterior wall of the tubing hanger and the interior wall of the wellhead housing.
  • Resilient back up seals 84, 85 may also be provided.
  • the exterior wall of the tubing hanger includes channels 86, 87, for receiving an the resilient o-ring type resilient seal 84, 85.
  • the channels and o-rings could also alternatively be housed in the interior wall of the wellhead housing.
  • the resilient seal system is also activated by the compressor system 10.
  • seal test port 114 in communication with the seal for testing its integrity once activated.
  • the seals are released by decompressing the compressor system 10 to withdraw the ramp surface 14 axially downward from the ramp surface 16 via the screw drive system 21.
  • the drive means may be any of a number of systems which support the exertion of circumferential pressure on the outer wall of the wellhead. Examples of such systems are shown and described in my U.S. Patent No. 6,662,868 and copending application USSN 10/721,443 . All of these are incorporated by reference herein.
  • seal mechanism must be distinguished from the clamping mechanism described in the aforementioned patents. As will be readily understood, sufficient clamping can be accomplished by compressing the outer member into the inner member whether or not full circumferential contact is achieved. It is the important enhancement that means are provided to assure complete contact along the circumferential walls of the two member to effect a seal once the compression is completed.
  • Fig. 2 depicts a simple configuration of a three-string wellhead system utilizing the clamping system of my aforementioned patents and the aforementioned sealing system.
  • the main components of this system are a wellhead housing 1, a production casing hanger 2 with annulus seal assembly 3, and a tubing hanger 4.
  • the entire assembly is supported on a base plate 5 that sits on the conductor string 6.
  • a load shoulder 37 on the support plate supports the wellhead housing.
  • the wellhead housing 1 supports the weight of the intermediate casing string 7 in a traditional manner (in this case, via a threaded casing coupling connection in the bottom of the wellhead housing).
  • the exterior of the wellhead housing features two sets of annulus access ports 8 and 9, two clamping compression systems 10 and 11, a control-line access port 12, two sets of external seal test ports 113 and 114, and a thread-on flange profile up.
  • a thread on flange 35 attaches to this profile to interface with the tree adapter 33.
  • the bore of the wellhead housing is featured with a number of sealing profiles and lockdown profiles for the casing hanger, seal assembly, and tubing hanger. These bores may be on a series of steps so that each higher bore is on a slightly larger diameter, therefore protected from operations on the smaller diameter bores.
  • an index shoulder 22 for the tubing hanger neck seal and a gasket sealing profile At the top of the wellhead housing bore is an index shoulder 22 for the tubing hanger neck seal and a gasket sealing profile.
  • a load shoulder 23 At the bottom of the wellhead housing bore is a load shoulder 23 that is sized to support the casing weight of the production casing string only. Any additional axial load (for instance load from other casing strings or from test pressures) passes through the friction-grip lockdown areas.
  • the production casing hanger 2 features a casing thread profile down for support of the production casing string 24 and a casing thread profile up to interface with the casing hanger's casing running string (not shown).
  • the exterior of the casing hanger features a load shoulder that is slotted to allow flow-by and cement returns to pass the exterior of the casing hanger as it is being run.
  • the external surface of the load shoulder area 25 is a controlled surface featuring a friction profile. When the casing hanger is landed, this friction surface is parallel to a mating surface in the bore of the wellhead housing. External compression of the wellhead housing provided by the lower compression cartridge 11 forces the two surfaces to be perfectly concentric and brings them into contact. Friction at this interface provides rotational and axial lock-down support for the casing hanger, as well as additional load support for production casing weight and test loads on the production casing hanger.
  • Above the casing hanger load shoulder is a profile for the annulus seal system 3.
  • the annulus seal 3 fits between the production casing hanger 2 and the inner bore of the wellhead housing 1.
  • the seal features two sets of seal profiles 115, 116 on both the inner and outer diameters, respectively.
  • the outer diameter and inner diameter seal profiles feature two pairs each of metal-to-metal seals as well as resilient seal back-ups 118, 119.
  • a port 113 between the two sets of seals allows external testing of all seals created by the seal assembly.
  • These seal profiles do not have initial radial interference with either the casing hanger or the wellhead housing. Rather, interference (and radial contact pressure) is provided by external compression of the wellhead housing through the use of the lower compression cartridge 11.
  • An extended neck 120 on the seal assembly protrudes above the top of the casing hanger. This extended neck features ports 122 to allow communication between the production/tubing annulus and the upper annulus access port 8 in the wellhead housing.
  • the top of the seal assembly serves as a landing shoulder 124 for the tubing hanger 4 at load shoulder 26.
  • the tubing hanger 4 supports the tubing string 27 with a threaded connection down.
  • the thicker main body 125 of the tubing hanger provides a load shoulder 26 that lands on top of the production casing hanger annulus seal assembly on landing shoulder 124. This load shoulder supports full tubing string weight only. Any additional axial loads (for instance, loads due to test pressure) are supported by the friction-grip lockdown area.
  • the outer diameter of the thick section 125 of the tubing hanger features a friction-lock profile 28 below a sealing profile 29.
  • the friction profile is a machined surface suitable for support of friction loads.
  • the sealing profile consists of a pair of metal-to-metal seal bumps with resilient back-ups, as described with above and shown more clearly in Figs. 1 and 3 .
  • Both of these profiles are parallel to mating surfaces on the wellhead housing bore, and have no initial interference.
  • the upper compression cartridge 10 When the upper compression cartridge 10 is activated, that section of the wellhead housing is compressed inwards to contact the tubing hanger. Contact pressure along this interface forces the pieces to be concentric, provides axial and rotational lockdown of the tubing hanger, and activates the metal-to-metal seals with resilient back-ups.
  • the friction interface supports any test pressure loads on the tubing hanger.
  • Hydraulic control lines 30 pass through the tubing hanger body in a conventional manner.
  • the tubing hanger features an extended neck 126 upwards. This neck features a tubing connection box up to interface with the tubing running string (not shown). Below this threaded box is a seal profile to accept the tubing hanger neck seal.
  • the tubing hanger neck seal 31 sits on a support ring 32 that is carried on the tubing hanger neck and indexes on a load shoulder in the wellhead housing bore.
  • the seal sits on the upper face of this support ring, and features metal-to-metal seal profiles on both the straight inner diameter and the tapered outer diameter.
  • a port 127 between these seal profiles allows external testing of all seals created by the tubing hanger neck seal via an external test port 36 in the Christmas tree adapter 33.
  • This seal is activated as the Christmas tree adapter 33 is drawn by studs and nuts 34 down onto the wellhead housing. Movement over the tapered external surface of the tubing hanger neck seal compresses the seal inwards and creates high radial contact pressures on both the seal inner diameter and the seal outer diameter.
  • Fig. 3 is an enlarged a detail of the system shown in Fig. 2 , generally in the area of the upper compressor system 10.
  • Fig. 3 is generally of the same cross-section of Fig. 1 , but with all of the detail of the wellhead housing of Fig. 2 .
  • Each POS-GRIP compression system is composed of a compression flange 14 and a compression wedge 15.
  • the compression flanges are rings with tapered inner surfaces that mate with the tapered outer surfaces of the compression wedges. Axial movement of the compression flanges over the compression wedges compresses the compression wedges inwards, in turn compressing a portion of the wellhead housing 1 inwards (within the wellhead housing's elastic range).
  • the compression systems may be configured with a split spacer ring 16 between the compression wedge and the wellhead housing, as shown in the top compression system 10 of Fig. 2 .
  • the split spacer rings have minimal hoop stiffness, and simply pass the radial contact loads from the compression wedge into the wellhead housing.
  • the compression flanges have handling profiles 17 on the flange outer diameters. These handling profiles interface with a release tool (not shown) that can be used to push the flanges apart, releasing the compression.
  • the compression flanges also have activation and locking profiles 18 cut into the wide end of the flanges. These profiles accept a set of small hydraulic pistons (not shown) during activation. These hydraulic pistons react against the thick section of the wellhead housing in the region of the upper annulus access port 8, see Fig. 2 . When pressure is applied to a set of hydraulic pistons, the associated compression flange is pushed away from the thick section of the wellhead housing into the "activated" position. Once the compression flange has been moved into its activated position, mechanical lock nuts 19 replace the hydraulic pistons in the locking profiles, and are used to lock the flange in the activated position.
  • the lock nuts consist of a male thread member 20 and a female thread member 21.
  • the male thread member has a threaded length and a flat face at one end to sit on the wellhead housing.
  • the female thread member has threads to mate with the male thread member and a flat face to react on the compression flange. Rotation of the female thread member on the male thread member allows the lock nut to adjust in length, to fill whatever gap is developed between the wellhead housing and the compression flanges during activation of the compression system. Once the lock nut has been adjusted to the necessary length, it effectively locks the compression flange in its current position, so that the hydraulic pistons may be removed.
  • Figs. 4 and 5 depict two separate sections of a more involved configuration of a four-string wellhead.
  • the main components of this system are a wellhead housing 38, a push-through wearbushing 39, an intermediate casing hanger 40 with annulus seal assembly 41.
  • the annulus seal assembly is of the same configuration as that shown in Fig. 2 and is activated in a similar manner by the lower compression system 11.
  • the assembly shown in Figs. 4 and 5 uses an alternate means of wellhead support.
  • the entire assembly is supported on a friction support mechanism 45 that connects the bottom of the wellhead housing to the top of a large-diameter casing string 46.
  • the friction support mechanism consists of a gripping sub 47, a compression sub 49, and a set of studs and nuts 50.
  • This gripping system comprising gripping sub 47, compression sub 49 and the driver 50, operates in accordance with the gripping system shown and described in my aforementioned patents.
  • the gripping sub is connected to the inner diameter of the wellhead housing 38 via a threaded profile at 130 with a metal-to-metal seal.
  • the lower portion 131 of the gripping sub consists of a friction and sealing profile on the inner diameter and a tapered surface on the outer diameter.
  • the friction profile diameter fits as a socket around the casing string 46.
  • the tapered diameter mates with a tapered surface on the compression sub 49.
  • the gripping sub is compressed inwards. This closes the gap between the gripping sub and the outer diameter of the casing, and creates a high radial contact pressure between the two pieces.
  • This high radial contact pressure provides a metal-to-metal seal between the gripping sub and the casing. Friction at this interface locks the pieces together axially and rotationally.
  • a set of studs and nuts 50 connect the compression sub 49 to the wellhead housing 38. It is movement of the nuts along the studs that causes the compression sub to move upwards along the tapered compression sub / gripping sub interface.
  • the wellhead housing 38 is largely the same as that shown in Fig. 2 .
  • the wellhead housing in Figs. 4 and 5 features a third annulus access port 52 ( Fig. 4 ) to allow access to the additional annulus created in the four-string configuration.
  • This annulus access port is located at 90 degrees from the production casing/intermediate casing annulus access port 51 ( Fig. 5 ). Both ports may be located at the same height as shown in these drawings.
  • This wellhead housing also demonstrates a different means of providing a reaction point for the hydraulic activation pistons and mechanical lock nuts. Instead of having a very thick section integral to the wellhead housing (as was shown in Fig. 2 ), this wellhead housing features a series of split flange sections 54 that fit in a dovetail groove 55 in a slightly thicker portion 136 of the wellhead housing. These flanges may then be bolted into place. At locations where annulus access port passes through the wellhead housing, a flat is machined to allow an annulus access valve to be bolted in place.
  • This system is used with a push-through wearbushing.
  • This wearbushing protects the wellhead bore when drilling for the intermediate casing string.
  • the wearbushing 39 is simply a thin sleeve with a thick top section. The bottom of the thin sleeve passes through the wellhead housing minimum inner diameter. A set of resilient seals 57 at the top of the wearbushing 39 prevents fluids from entering the protected area.
  • the wearbushing may be supported in one of two ways. First, a pin through one of the annulus access ports can latch into a profile on the outer diameter of the wearbushing. This pin can then be removed when the wearbushing is ready to be moved out of the way. Alternately, the thick upper portion of the wearbushing may be gripped by the compression system 11. This system is released when the wearbushing is ready to be moved out of the way.
  • the thicker portion at the top of the wearbushing serves as a load shoulder 138 for the intermediate casing hanger.
  • the wearbushing is released when the intermediate casing hanger is run.
  • the load shoulder 140 on the intermediate casing hanger lands on the top of the mating load shoulder on the wearbushing and pushes the wearbushing downwards until the thick portion of the wearbushing is sandwiched between the lower load shoulder 142 on the wellhead housing and the load shoulder 140 on the intermediate casing hanger.
  • These shoulder thicknesses are all sized to support full intermediate casing weight only. Any additional load on the intermediate casing hanger (due to loads from additional casing strings and seal test loads) is supported by the friction interface which is activated by the compression system 11.
  • the intermediate casing hanger 150 and intermediate casing hanger seal assembly 41 are largely identical to the production casing hanger 2 and production casing hanger annulus seal assembly 3 as discussed in Fig. 2 .
  • the intermediate casing hanger features a profile 58 on the inner diameter to land the production casing hanger 42. As a hanger does not land on top of the annulus seal as one did in the configuration of Fig.2 , the annulus seal is shorter, and does not have the requirement of ports for annulus access.
  • the production casing hanger 42 features a casing thread profile down for support of the production casing string 59.
  • a casing coupling box 152 to interface with the seal and support sub 43 and an external running thread profile to interface with the casing hanger's running tool (not shown).
  • the exterior of the production casing hanger features slots to allow flow-by and cement returns to pass as the hanger is being run.
  • split-ring landing mechanism 60 ( Fig. 5 ).
  • This outwardly biased split ring is held inwards by the casing hanger running tool while the hanger is being run. This allows the production casing hanger to pass completely through the bore of the intermediate casing hanger, and then be pulled back to the mating landing profile, thus applying tension to the production casing string.
  • the outwardly-biased split ring is disengaged from the running tool.
  • the split ring springs outwards and engages the mating profile in the bore of the intermediate casing hanger.
  • This split ring supports intermediate casing string weight only. Any additional loads on the intermediate casing hanger (for instance, loads due to the tubing string or any seal test loads) are carried by the seal and support sub.
  • the seal and support sub 43 has a casing coupling pin down. This threaded and sealing connection is made up to the mating box 152 in the top of the production casing hanger 150.
  • On the inner diameter above this coupling is a running profile 61 to mate with a running tool (not shown). Above this running profile, ports 62 ( Fig. 4 ) pass from the seal and support sub inner diameter to the outer diameter to allow communication between the production casing/tubing annulus and the annulus access port 156.
  • these ports pass between a pair of metal-to-metal seals at seal assembly 160.
  • the outer diameter of the seal and support sub features four sets of metal-to-metal seals 162 with resilient backup 63.
  • the annulus access ports pass between the middle set of seals.
  • the set of seals on either side of the annulus access port straddle external test ports in the wellhead housing wall, enabling testing of all sets of seals.
  • a friction profile 64 consisting of a machined surface suitable for support of friction loads.
  • Both of these profiles are parallel to mating surfaces on the wellhead housing bore, and have no initial interference.
  • the upper compression cartridge 165 When the upper compression cartridge 165 is activated, that section of the wellhead housing is compressed inwards to contact the seal and support sub. Contact pressure along this interface forces the pieces to be concentric, provides axial and rotational lockdown of the seal and support sub, and activates the metal-to-metal seals with resilient back-ups.
  • the friction interface supports any test pressure loads on the seal and support sub and any weight from the tubing hanger.
  • the inner diameter of the support sub is a bowl that serves as a landing shoulder 170 for the tubing hanger 65. Above this landing shoulder is a bore with both a friction grip profile 66 and a sealing profile 67 for the tubing hanger.
  • the tubing hanger 65 is very similar to the tubing hanger 4 shown in Fig. 2 .
  • the tubing hanger 65 has a reduced outer diameter, allowing it to be run through a smaller blow out preventer (BOP).
  • BOP blow out preventer
  • This smaller tubing hanger is landed, locked down, and sealed inside the seal and support sub rather than inside the wellhead housing bore.
  • a port 68 in the tubing hanger passes from the top face to intersect a test port that passes between the two sets of seals on the tubing.hanger outer diameter.
  • the first stage of activation compresses the wellhead housing inwards to grip, support, and seal the seal and support sub.
  • the compression system is activated further. This additional activation compresses through the seal and support sub, compressing the inner diameter of the seal and support sub inwards to grip the tubing hanger.
  • This second-stage compression provides the force necessary to activate the metal-to-metal seals and the friction-grip support.
  • the tubing hanger neck seal is identical to that shown Fig 2 . According to the invention a compression arrangement as described herein is used in conjunction with the above-mentioned wearbushings.
  • casing hangers are run together with a wearbushing through the wellhead.
  • the wearbushings are disposed to be gripped by a grip mechanism to lock down the casing hanger during the various wellbore drilling related activities, such as pressure testing, the next drilling phase, etc. Once the activity is complete, the grip mechanism is then released in order to remove the wearbushing before the next casing hanger is installed.
  • the systems illustrated use a grip mechanism (such as upper compression system 165 of Fig. 4 ) to hold and lock each casing hanger, through a wearbushing on which it is run. The wearbushing stays in place until the next casing hole is drilled. BOP tests can be performed without having to pull the wearbushing and with drill pipe in the hole.
  • a grip mechanism such as upper compression system 165 of Fig. 4
  • BOP tests can be performed without having to pull the wearbushing and with drill pipe in the hole.
  • the intermediate casing hanger wearbushing is pulled, after which the production hanger is landed.
  • the production casing hanger can be lifted to provide flow by the hanger and wearbushing seals.
  • One advantage of this arrangement is that ultimately the tubing hanger can be landed on top of the stacked hangers, and locked and sealed with the metal-to-metal grip mechanism sealing system, which has been qualified to Appendix F standard for 103.4 MPa (15 k psi) service and which has been tested to 172.4 MPa (25 k psi). More specifically, the invention uses wearbushings 210 to temporarily lock down casing hangers 212 during the drilling of a well. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in the prior art, wearbushings are run into a wellhead with the sole function of protecting the wellhead bore during drilling. They are not used to lock down casing hangers as described herein.
  • Casing hangers must be “locked down” so that they remain in place if any annular pressure under the hanger is experienced.
  • wearbushings in conjunction with the grip mechanism 218 of the invention, there is only a need for a single lockdown mechanism in a wellhead at tubing hanger location 224, which reduces cost and complexity of casing hangers, saves time and increases reliability of installation.
  • prior art arrangements for locking down casing hangers are much more complicated and difficult to implement, such as tie-down bolts which penetrate through the wellhead.
  • the mechanism 218 shown is the most beneficial as it also offers additional advantages previously disclosed above.
  • Figs. 6-8 represent stages of the sequence which are an important aspect of the invention:
  • Fig. 6 shows casing hanger 212 and casing 213 attached to a wearbushing 210 which is run into wellhead 220 by wearbushing running joint 221.
  • the wearbushing 210 is designed to interface at 222 at an engagement zone or "sealing zone" with the upper end 224 of the wellhead 220 where the tubing hanger 2I4 (see Fig. 8 ) will eventually sit, and is locked into place with grip mechanism 218 by making up the sealing and lockdown arrangement as is later used for the tubing hanger 214 of Fig. 8 .
  • FIG. 7 shows the next casing hanger 212a installed with a similar wearbushing 210a which is also engaged by grip mechanism 218 in the lockdown arrangement at the tubing hanger location. Now both casing hangers 212, 212a are secured in place through the wearbushing 210a.
  • Fig. 8 illustrates the removal of wearbushing 210 when tubing hanger 214 is ready to be installed. With wearbushing 210 removed, tubing hanger 214 lands at 230 on top of the stacked casing hanger's 212, 212a and locks them in place.
  • the platform wellhead design of the subject invention has numerous enhancements and features providing substantial advantages over the wellhead designs of the prior art.
  • the wellhead as described herein achieves these advantages by moving load support and seal energization functions to the exterior to the wellhead housing. This results in maximization of useable bore space and excellent control of annular seal loading.

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  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Geology (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • Earth Drilling (AREA)
  • Excavating Of Shafts Or Tunnels (AREA)

Claims (12)

  1. Bohrkopfvorrichtung, welche eine äußere Dichtvorrichtung (218) zum Einklemmen einer Verschleißbuchse (210, 210a) innerhalb eines Rohrelements (220) mit größerem Innendurchmesser aufweist, wobei die Vorrichtung folgendes umfasst:
    a. eine Verschleißbuchse (210, 210a) mit einer darauf definierten Dichtzone;
    b. ein äußeres Rohrelement (220), mit einem ersten Durchmesser mit einer inneren Umfangswand mit einer darin befindlichen Dichtzone, wobei die Verschleißbuchse (210, 210a) im Wesentlichen konzentrisch innerhalb des äußeren Rohrelements (220) positioniert ist, welches eine äußere Umfangswand mit einer darin befindlichen Dichtzone aufweist; und
    c. ein Kompressionssystem (218), welches außerhalb des äußeren Rohrelements (220) angrenzend an die Dichtzonen montiert ist und zum Komprimieren des äußeren Rohrelements (220) in Umfangskontakt mit der Verschleißbuchse (210, 210a) zum Kontaktieren von deren Dichtzonen aktiviert werden kann, wobei die Dichtzonen eine metallische Dichtfläche auf der Verschleißbuchse (210, 210a) und auf dem äußeren Rohrelement (220) sind, um eine in Umfangsrichtung verlaufende Metall-auf-Metall-Dichtung zu definieren, wenn das Kompressionssystem (218) aktiviert ist;
    und dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass:
    die Bohrkopfvorrichtung weiter eine innere Rohraufhängung (212, 212a), welche lösbar an der Verschleißbuchse (210, 210a) befestigt ist, und ein inneres Rohrelement (213) umfasst, wobei die Verschleißbuchse (210, 210a) lösbar oberhalb der inneren Rohraufhängung (212, 212a) befestigt ist und
    die innere Rohraufhängung (212, 212a) an dem inneren Rohrelement (213) befestigt ist; und
    wobei die Aktivierung des Kompressionssystems (218) dazu eingerichtet ist, die Verschleißbuchse (210), die innere Rohraufhängung (212, 212a) und das innere Rohrelement (213) zu sperren.
  2. Bohrkopfvorrichtung nach Anspruch 1,
    bei welcher das äußere Rohrelement (220) das Bohrkopfgehäuse ist.
  3. Bohrkopfvorrichtung nach Anspruch 1 oder Anspruch 2, umfassend eine zweite Rohraufhängung (212) und ein zweites Rohrelement (213), die außerhalb der inneren Rohraufhängung (212a) und des inneren Rohrelements und innerhalb des äußeren Rohrelements (220) liegen und wobei sowohl die innere Rohraufhängung (212a) als auch die zweite Rohraufhängung (212) durch die Aktivierung des Kompressionssystems an der Verschleißbuchse (210a) an Ort und Stelle gehalten und gesperrt werden.
  4. Bohrkopfvorrichtung nach Anspruch 1,
    bei welcher das Kompressionssystem eine Keilfläche (15) und einen Flansch (14) umfasst, welcher zum Eingriff mit der Keilfläche (15) ausgebildet ist, wobei entweder der Keil (15) oder der Flansch (14) entweder auf dem äußeren Rohrelement (220) oder dem Kompressionssystem (218) angeordnet sind, wodurch das Rohrelement (220) in radialer Richtung nach innen komprimiert wird, wenn eine relative axiale Bewegung zwischen dem Keil (15) und dem Flansch (14) erfolgt.
  5. Bohrkopfvorrichtung nach Anspruch 4,
    bei welcher das Kompressionssystem ein Hydraulikzylinder ist, der zum Bewirken einer axialen Bewegung zwischen dem Keil (15) und dem Flansch (14) ausgelegt ist.
  6. Bohrkopfvorrichtung nach Anspruch 5,

    welche weiter eine aktive Verriegelung (21) zum Verriegeln des Keils (15) und des Flansches (14) in einer bestimmten Position umfasst, sobald die Dichtung aktiv ist.
  7. Bohrkopfvorrichtung nach Anspruch 6,
    weiter umfassend eine redundante elastische Dichtung (84, 85) in der Dichtzone.
  8. Bohrkopfvorrichtung nach Anspruch 7,
    weiter umfassend eine Mehrzahl redundante, in axialer Richtung beabstandete elastische Dichtungen (84, 85) in der Dichtzone.
  9. Bohrkopfvorrichtung nach Anspruch 8,
    weiter umfassend einen Anschluss (114) zwischen der Mehrzahl redundanter, in axialer Richtung beabstandeter elastischer Dichtungen (84, 85) in der Dichtzone.
  10. Verfahren zum Installieren von Rohraufhängungen (212, 212a) innerhalb eines Bohrlochs, wobei das Verfahren die folgenden Schritte umfasst:
    a. Anbringen einer Verschleißbuchse (210, 210a) an einer inneren Rohraufhängung (212, 212a);
    b. Positionieren der inneren Rohraufhängung (212, 212a) in einem Bohrkopf (220), der an der Oberseite des Bohrlochs angeordnet ist;
    c. Aktivieren eines Fassmechanismus (218), der außen am Bohrkopf (220) angeordnet ist, um zu bewirken, dass ein Teil des Bohrkopfes (220) die Verschleißbuchse (210, 210a) komprimiert und fasst, und wobei die Aktivierung die innere Rohraufhängung (212, 212a) sperrt;
    d. Durchführen von das Bohren betreffenden Aktivitäten im Bohrloch; und
    e. Deaktivieren des Fassmechanismus (218), um die Verschleißbuchse (210, 210a) zu lösen.
  11. Verfahren nach Anspruch 10,
    weiter umfassend den Schritt des Entfernens der Verschleißbuchse (210) von der inneren Rohraufhängung (212).
  12. Verfahren nach Anspruch 10,
    weiter umfassend folgende Schritte:
    a. Positionieren einer zweiten Rohraufhängung (212) im Bohrkopf (220), der an der Oberseite eines Bohrlochs angeordnet ist, und wobei die zweite Rohraufhängung (212) außerhalb der inneren Rohraufhängung (212a) angeordnet ist;
    b. Aktivieren des Fassmechanismus (218), um zu bewirken, dass ein Teil des Bohrkopfes (220) die Verschleißbuchse (210a), die an der inneren Rohraufhängung (212a) angebracht ist, komprimiert und fasst;
    c. Durchführen von das Bohren betreffenden Aktivitäten im Bohrloch; und
    d. Aktivieren des Fassmechanismus, um die Verschleißbuchse (210a), welche an der inneren Rohraufhängung (212a) angebracht ist, zu lösen.
EP08834237.3A 2007-09-24 2008-09-23 Extern aktiviertes dichtungssystem für einen bohrlochkopf Active EP2195508B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US11/903,715 US7740061B2 (en) 2003-12-31 2007-09-24 Externally activated seal system for wellhead
PCT/US2008/011020 WO2009042121A2 (en) 2007-09-24 2008-09-23 Externally activated seal system for wellhead

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP2195508A2 EP2195508A2 (de) 2010-06-16
EP2195508A4 EP2195508A4 (de) 2015-08-19
EP2195508B1 true EP2195508B1 (de) 2018-02-28

Family

ID=38970352

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP08834237.3A Active EP2195508B1 (de) 2007-09-24 2008-09-23 Extern aktiviertes dichtungssystem für einen bohrlochkopf

Country Status (8)

Country Link
US (1) US7740061B2 (de)
EP (1) EP2195508B1 (de)
BR (1) BRPI0817945B1 (de)
CA (1) CA2700574C (de)
DK (1) DK2195508T3 (de)
ES (1) ES2664240T3 (de)
MX (1) MX2010003199A (de)
WO (1) WO2009042121A2 (de)

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Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
BRPI0817945B1 (pt) 2019-03-19
WO2009042121A2 (en) 2009-04-02
EP2195508A4 (de) 2015-08-19
DK2195508T3 (en) 2018-04-16
US20080017386A1 (en) 2008-01-24
BRPI0817945A2 (pt) 2015-05-05
MX2010003199A (es) 2010-04-21
US7740061B2 (en) 2010-06-22
CA2700574A1 (en) 2009-04-02
WO2009042121A3 (en) 2009-06-18
ES2664240T3 (es) 2018-04-18
EP2195508A2 (de) 2010-06-16
CA2700574C (en) 2014-08-12

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